Us Against Time
by bambino-rotto
Summary: AU Dirk lives in a future where the world is dead and only him and Roxy are left. One day he mysteriously transports to the past and meets Jake. Soon, Jake becomes more important than all of the research Dirk had put in. GunBlade pairing. AU. T for now
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

It's bright, blindingly so. The sun shines down on a teenage boy denoting his features. His blonde hair falls messily in his face, and he opens his brownish-orangish eyes only to close them immediately from the light. He sits up and groans holding his aching head. He quickly takes in his surroundings. Rusty metal and overgrowth surround him, green and rustic red covering everything. He winces as he looks upwards, the sun blinding him yet again. His attention is then brought to his right. There lays a pair of pointy sunglasses and a note. He puts on the sunglasses thankful for the respite it brings his eyes and began reading the note. It says:

_Your name is DIRK STRIDER, and you are currently 14 years old. You love PUPPETS. You also have an interest in BUILDING ROBOTS. You learned to RAP from me, your BRO. I am not important anymore, in fact you won't ever see me again (Not that you remember seeing me. You have amnesia now right?). In the CITY there is a HIGH-RISE APARTMENT BUILDING that you live in. There is a lifetime stock of SODA there for you, but everything else you must get from the GROCERY STORE. You are NOT ALONE. My sister's daughter, ROXY, is here with you only she lives FAR AWAY. You however live in the city of HOUSTON in TEXAS. You two are THE LAST ON EARTH. Please, enjoy your life from now on. We sure did have one heck of a fight to give you it._

_BRO_

Dirk stands with the note in hand and glances around at the large and empty world in front of him. He sighs then begins to walk forward, no particular place in his mind. He has no idea where this apartment building he is supposed to live in is supposed to be. He continues wandering around the earth, seeing ancient artifacts everywhere. Large objects containing windows and seats inside are very rustic and decayed. The greenery around him is overgrown to the point it threatens to take over the concrete he walks on. Buildings around him are old and look very unstable in age. The city is huge, at least the parts of it that he can see. Soon in his exploring, a tall building stands out from the others. It's not rustic like the rest or invaded by nature. It's just a tall building, the bottom half of it missing it's walls. The iron support beams scale halfway up the building then windows cover the rest from there to the roof high up in the sky. Drawn to the mysterious building, Dirk walks on towards it.

Walking inside the barren building shocked Dirk. Inside, all of the walls, floors, and stairs remained in tact, only the outside wall had fallen. Curious, Dirk wandered around the entire building, going to higher floors and looking around before ascending the stairs again. Soon, he makes it to the top floor and is shocked at what he sees. An apartment room had been set up, a couch here, a television there, computers and puppets lying everywhere. Dirk smiled slightly and continued exploring his new home. He opens up the refrigerator only to find a plethora of swords inside. Confused, he closes the fridge and turns around only to come eye to eye with a wooden puppet with no eyes. It has a small smile on its mouth, and while his face is wooden, his body (save for his hands and feet) are made of cloth. It wears an orange pinstriped suit and a blue shirt that says "CAL" in white letter on it. There is another note attached to the puppet. Dirk grabs and and reads it.

_This puppet is named CAL. He is your BEST FRIEND. Treat him well and he will HELP you. You and him often SPAR against each other on the roof with the SWORDS found the fridge._

BRO

Dirk nods slightly at the note before throwing away. With Cal in his hands, he walks over to a large desk and marvels at the technology on it. There are five computer screens, the one in the middle being the largest. Each of them are connected, all displaying different images however. To the right is another desk also holds three more computers, the outside two being the largest. Behind him, a large panel lays on the wall. It shows a blank screen yet there is a remote and instructions lying on the coffee table for him. Not sure of what to do first, Dirk sits in a wheely chair and pulls himself to the desk with five computers. He moves the mouse, but it only appears on the middle screen. He then moves it far right, and the mouse transfers over to another screen. A small smirk working its way onto Dirk's face, he pulls up an internet browser on each screen and begins researching. He finds a news article which was the last thing posted to the internet.

_The end of the Earth is coming. Every minute of every day, people are dying from an unknown cause. Doctors everywhere are trying to determine the cause of these mysterious deaths, but even the greatest doctors are falling victim to this unseen epidemic. Along side of these mysterious deaths, gas is becoming so scarce that gas cars are no longer permitted. The use of gas has been banned because of the low availability and global warming. Scientists have stated that our ozone layers are greatly depleted contributing to our rising temperatures. Repairs to the ozone layer are impossible; however with the recent ban on gas item, our weather patterns should return to normal soon. Also the recent planting of trees by our government should help to stabilize Earth's condition. Hopefully, with all that our government is doing, the Earth will return to normal and mankind will survive._

Dirk sits back in his chair after reading that short part of the last of the surviving humans. Even though it is truly horrifying what he read, he still wants to know more about the world. He wants to know how exactly the Earth ended but more importantly, he wants to know what other people were like before this happened. He wants to know how the world was before it stopped short of its full potential. There is nothing he wants more in this moment of his life.

**Well that was the prologue to Us Against Time. I hope you enjoyed it (if it didn't bore you ;n;). I promise you I have a plan for this. I am very excited about how this will turn out actually, so just stick with me and hopefully you'll like it. There'll be Jake next chapter ;D See you then!**


	2. Chapter 1: The happening

_Chapter 1: The Happening_

It is still all of the same scenery to him. Large lifeless buildings, empty useless streets, and a blindingly bright sky. For the ten years that Dirk Strider has lived with memory, it's never been any different. He still isn't sure if he prefers it that way or not. He knows the history well enough to be jealous of the past. Lush green hills, busy streets with people milling about, and a beautiful blue sky. It all appeals to him, calls for him from this desolate wasteland. Dirk gives a heavy sigh as he walks to his apartment from the grocery store he frequents often yet never pays for. He is very thankful for the fact that he does like technology. He was able to disarm the shoplifting alarm years ago to save himself the headache.

Just as he passes an empty alleyway, something flies into his path, stopping him and slightly shocking him. He would scream if he weren't already used to occurrences such as this. He gently sets down his bags of food and pulls out the thin blade sitting in it's sheath on his belt. He scans the area for his target then points his sword at a bird a few feet away. Unlike the beautiful birds of the past, this bird is a mutant black-brown color with 5 legs, 3 wings, 4 eyes, and a long serpentine tail. As the bird charges for him, Dirk thrusts his sword towards the bird, stinking it in its chest. The bird falls limp against the cold metal. Dirk readjusts his sunglasses, picks up his food bags, and continues walking down the street bird in hand like a trophy.

Once inside his apartment, he makes himself a meal of frozen pizza and set the bird down on a table in view of his computers. He turns on the video camera and steps into view of it behind the table. He glances at Cal, takes a bite of the warm pizza, then turns his attention back to the camera.

"Scientific Journal: Day 3, 6273. As I was making my way home today this bird flew in front of me. Seems as how this bird has mutated differently than the others, I thought it would be a good idea to study it. Without dissecting it first, I can see that this bird is different in many ways. This bird has five legs as opposed to the three legs the other birds have. While the wing count and eye count are the same, the tail is different. Other tails I have seen are just merely the overgrown adaptation of its normal tail. This bird has a thin small tail, very flexible just like a snake," Dirk says gazing at the camera. He then turns his attention to the bird and opens one of its four eyes. "The eyes are green just like the others still with no pupil. That trend continued. Let's get on with the dissection now."

Taking a scalpel and a pair of latex gloves, Dirk began to carefully cut open and inspect the insides of the birds looking for further mutations. After a while, Dirk takes off his gloves and sits in his computer chair. "These further mutation observations will cause me to do more research and further comparisons to previous data. I will re-evaluate my conclusions and continue on with the journal later. Dirk Strider. See you later," Dirk says as he turns off his camera and saves his video to the many others on his computers. He swivels around in his chair to look at Cal. "Hey, little man. How's it hanging?" Cal said nothing but smiled at Dirk. "Fist bump for a bro?" Dirk grabs Cal's hand and gives the puppet a fist bump. A ping from his computer steals his attention away. His pesterchum app has a new message which only means one thing: Roxy Lalonde.

-tipsyGnostalgic [TG] began pestering timaeusTestified [TT] at 13:31-

[TG]: heeeey sexy, hows it hangiongf?

[TG]: *hanging

[TT]: Have you been drinking again?

[TT]: Isn't it only 1:30?

[TG]: its a habbit bby can't help that my mom letf me vodka and brandy steadf of faygo and crush

[TG]: *habbit *letf *stead

[TG]: *letf

[TG]: *fuck it

[TT]: You really are a terrible drunk. How do you get any research done? Have you even been doing research?

[TG]: tots dude. neways i get lots of shit done! i dont just sit around on my ass!

[TT]: Sorry, I didn't mean to offend you.

[TG]: well you offended

[TG]: your words stungfd

[TG]: *stung

[TG]: we are supposed to be siblingfs

[TT]: We are. Which is why I would appreciate it if you stopped calling me sexy

[TG]: well who the fuck else am i supposed to call esxy bby? evryone else is DEAD

[TG]: *sexy *wink wonk*

[TT]: I still don't like it.

[TG]: fine fine ill stop but i still get to call you bby

[TT]: Fine I suppose. Anyways what do you want?

[TG]: your latest vidoe journal is it true?

[TG]: are the mutatiuons really changing?

[TG]: *video *mutationsda

[TG]: *mutations

[TT]: It looks like it. I wasn't aware you watched my video journals though. I really only kept them for memories in case I get amnesia again.

[TG]: i get ya but yah i watch your vids why wouldnt i?

[TG]: thats how i know your so sexy

[TT]: I'm your cousin Roxy

[TG]: right sory but damn that means more work for us doenst it?

[TG]: *doesnt

[TT]: In a way yes. I'm starting to get a slight headache from this. That's why I cut the last video short.

[TT]: I just wonder what could have happened in the past to make all of this happen.

[TT]: I just wish... I don't know what I want.

[TG]: you wanna visit back then dont you?

[TT]: I guess.

[TG]: youll figuer it out one day dirk youre VERY smart

[TG]: *finger

[TG]: *fiugure

[TG] *god dammit

[TT]: Maybe one day I will. Well I'm going to the roof to spar with Cal. I'll be back in a bit.

[TG]: kk hury back sexy *wink*

[TG]: right cousin sry

[TG]: go hav fun

[TG]: *have

[TT]: Later.

-timaeusTestified [TT] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG] at 13:59-

Dirk smiles slightly as he pushes himself away from the computer desk. Grabbing a few swords, a towel, and Cal, Dirk makes his way to the roof, training on his mind. Once there Dirk practices his strikes, blocks, parries, and footwork with Cal for a good hour or so before sitting on the edge of the roof. He looks over the empty city with a hint of longing in his strangely colored eyes. Drying himself off with his towel, Dirk flops onto his back shutting his eyes to shield them away from the intensity of the sun. Even with his shades, the sun is still too bright for him to look directly at the sky. Once he is satisfied with himself, he stands and makes his way over to Cal to grab him and go back inside. The wind picks up then, whisking his towel out of his hand and flying it over the city. He stares after it before continuing to Cal. The wind grows even stronger then and pushes Dirk back. Dirk, who was still close to the edge of the roof, falls backwards toppling over the side of the building. A scream leaves Dirk's mouth as he falls, however he doesn't fall long. Soon he feels the rough ground beneath him.

Dirk opens his eyes and is shocked at what he sees. He's lying in the middle of a street, but he's surrounded by people and the things called "cars" are zipping past him, making very loud noises as the pass by. He stands but then is frozen in fear. All around him is the world he always imagined, but it is frightening to him. He tries to leave the street but the cars passing by make it near impossible. Swallowing his fear, he starts running in one direction only to hear a loud screeching sound. He freezes and sees a small green car closing in on him. He closes his eyes as the car makes impact with him. The force buckles his legs beneath him and pushes him back a few feet. He groans and opens his eyes to see the car opening and another person coming out.

"Holy shit! Are you alright, mate? Are you still alive? I hope I didn't kill you. Please say something, anything you can!" a deep voice calls out funnily. Dirk has never quite heard a voice like his before, granted the only other voice he's heard is his own. He manages to sit up and hold his head. He looks at the man in front of him. He has black hair and large brown eyes hidden behind large clear glasses. A few freckles dot his nose and cheeks, and he has slightly large front teeth, but other than that, Dirk had to say he is quite amazed. This man captures his attention. "Blimey, can you say anything! You didn't hit your head did you? That's it, I'm taking you to the hospital." The man helps Dirk stand and walks him to his car. He opens the door for him and sits him inside before walking around the car to his seat. The door closes and the car starts moving again, a strange anomaly to Dirk.

"This may be an emergency, and you may be injured, but you do still have to wear a seat belt, mate," the man says. Dirk glances at him wondering what this "seat belt" is.

"What's a seat belt?" Dirk asks. The man turns to him in shock, his mouth gaping.

"What is a seat belt? Are you dumb or did I give you amnesia?" the man asks obviously appalled by Dirk's question. Seeing Dirk's genuine confusion he grabs the leather belt strapped across his waist and shoulder. "This is a seat belt. You'll find it to your right. Please put it on. Blimey, you Americans and not knowing the things essential to you. All blooming idiots I tell you." Dirk wonders what this man could be grumbling about but says nothing.

Soon the car stops (for which Dirk was grateful for) in front of a large building with the word "HOSPITAL" in large red letters on it. The man hastily gets out of the car and pulls Dirk inside. While Dirk is taking what the building looks like, the man talks to a woman behind a counter. Soon, his exploring is interrupted by another woman grabbing his hand.

"Come this way please. The doctor will see you immediately," the woman says rushing him away. He's led to a strange device on wheels with a black mattress on it. He is ushered onto it and is then pushed around the building. Something is pushed into his arm and he cries out in pain, but it doesn't last long. Soon, he finds himself falling asleep due to an unknown force.

What seems like immediately, Dirk wakes to sounds in his room. "He doesn't seem to have any brain damage or broken limbs, so you can be lucky for that. He did have a few cuts and a bit of internal bleeding though. We dressed his wounds though, so he should be free to go at any time," a fragile voice says.

"Yes, thank you, nurse. This is great news!" the same deep voice from before says happily. Dirk opens his eyes stunned at the brightness of the room. Everything is white; the walls, the curtains, the floor, the bed sheets on top of him, everything. The man from before stands at the foot of his bed accompanied by a woman wearing a multi-colored shirt and a small white jacket. The man notices Dirk's consciousness and smiles at him. "Ah! So you're awake! Good, now I can formerly introduce myself." The man walks closer to Dirk as the woman leaves the room. It is then that Dirk notices that the man's hair isn't Black, but a dark brown brown color very close to black and that his eyes aren't brown, but instead a vibrant green. His sunglasses had hidden those colors to him which Dirk found slightly upsetting. "My name is Jake English. It's nice to meet you!" the man says sticking out his hand towards Dirk.

"I'm Dirk Strider," Dirk says glancing at the mans hand curiously. The man, Jake, nervously pulls back his hand and Dirk feels awkward for accidentally insulting the man so. He just doesn't know what to do.

"So, um... As my way of an apology, let me treat you to lunch. It is just after 2 o'clock after all. Are you the tiniest bit hungry?" Jake asks hopefully. Despite eating lunch just a while ago, Dirk has to admit that is feeling hungry. He gives a slight nod and stands up. Jake smiles at him and leads him away. Dirk once again follows him outside to where Jake's car is. He stares at it distrustfully.

"So this is a car right? I've seen them before but what exactly do they do?" Dirk asks cautiously walking towards the green car. Jake just stares at Dirk a bit more than just confused. The doctors had said that he suffered no brain damage, so why doesn't he know what a car does?

"Well, when people get in it, it moves a lot faster than people can by themselves. It's a way to travel," Jake says walking past Dirk to his car. "Have you really not ridden in one before?" Seeing Dirk just stand there still suspiciously eyeing the car, Jake lets out a sigh. "Come on. It's totally safe." Again, Dirk didn't even try to budge. "Come on, Mate. Think of it as an awesome adventure of some sort." Dirk isn't sure why, but those words paired with the smile on Jake's face makes Dirk shuffle over to the car and get inside himself. He puts on his seat belt and glances at Jake, who is humming happily beside him. Dirk doesn't recognize the song but finds himself at ease anyways.

"So if you don't mind my asking, Mate, why don't you know what a car is? The doctors said you didn't have any brain damage from the hit I gave you... I hope you don't press charges by the way," Jake adds nervously.

"Press, what? No, um, I won't. And while you didn't give me any brain damage, I got amnesia somehow when I was 14. After that I was just really... isolated I guess you could say. This really is my first time seeing anything like this. Even that... doctor place," Dirk says unable to think of the name of the building.

"Wow, that must have been a very lonely life. Not very full of adventure is it?" Jake asks glancing at Dirk every now and then.

"Oh, I wouldn't call it lonely per say. I had my best friend Cal with me. We would always fist bump each other. Then I had Sawtooth, and Longfoot, and even Squarewave. I love Squarewave. We always have rap battles, even though he never wins," Dirk says, a small smile gracing his features.

"That's great! So were those... gang names or something? You boys sure do sound tough," Jake says with a small laugh.

"Gang names? No, I named them myself after I built them. They're robots," Dirk says.

"Oh... Robots," Jake repeats obviously surprised by that statement. "Well that's... interesting. I bet that cool though to live with robots."

"Yeah, it really is, but before I go on about my self, why don't you tell me a little about you?" Dirk asks glancing at Jake. Jake smiles at him then glances back to the road.

"You know, Strider, I didn't really notice it before because of your weird shades, but you have amazing eyes. A discoloration is it? Anyways, I like they're orange," Jake says causing Dirk's eyes to widen in shock. He hadn't seen his sunglasses in a while. He needs those for his time. Did he leave them at the hospital or are they still lying in the road? Dirk can't remember when he last had them on. "Relax, I have your shades here with me. I'll give them to you when we pull up at a stop light or something. Are they really that important?"

"You could say that," Dirk says relaxing again. He makes it a point to be very straight faced around this man for a reason unknown to Dirk.

"Alright, well anyways, I guess you could say that I'm a man of action! I love going on adventures and fisticuffs and whatnot. There's nothing more I'd like in my life than to go to the lost temple to find treasure or something of the sort. It really gets me going you know?" Jake asks with an enthusiastic smile on his face. Dirk gets absorbed by that smile, just seeing how it lights up Jake's face, but then he remembers something.

"Oh yeah, when you came to help me, you spoke with a funny voice, but now you sound different. You can pronounce things like me. How is that?" Dirk asks. Jake eyes him suspiciously and parks the car in front of a bistro. He sits in his seat with the car running for a while before sighing. "I guess I'll tell you. Let's head inside and get something to eat first though." Jake shuts off the car and walks inside, Dirk quickly following behind.

Inside is a shock to Dirk. The building is very well lit with lights hanging on the wall and from the ceiling. The brown and black paint on the walls is still intact instead of chipped and peeled. Also, people fill the room, moving about, eating, chatting, it all just makes the room feel alive. Jake walks forward to a polished counter and starts talking to a girl in a white shirt and green apron. Soon, he turns to Dirk.

"What would you like to eat? You can get whatever you want. I'll pay for it," Jake says pulling out a leather pouch from his pocket. Dirk stares at Jake for a second wondering what he has in his hands then becomes mesmerized by the menu board. On it are many food choices, most of which Dirk has never heard before. He turns to Jake who somehow instantly understands that Dirk doesn't know what to do. "He'll just have the same thing as me," he says to the lady behind the counter. She nods and they talk some more. Dirk is too interested by his surroundings to pay attention. Soon though, Jake places a hand on his shoulder and smiles at him. "Let's go find a table, Strider. They'll call us for our food soon." Dirk nods and soon they find a table in the front of the shop by the windows. Jake leaves for a small while then comes back with two cups. "I wasn't sure which soda you'd like, so I brought you a Coke. I hope you're okay with that." The cup is placed in front of Dirk and he stares at it.

"Is it anything like Orange Crush? Or Orange Faygo? Or Orange Fanta?" Dirk asks eyeing the drink.

"Well, it's not orange but I guess you could say they're similar. Try it," Jake suggests, taking a sip of his own Dr. Pepper. Dirk puts the thin straw in his mouth and stares at the cup trying to figure out how Jake uses the strange device. Seeing Dirk's struggle, he laughs a bit before getting Dirk's attention. "Here, this is what you do. Suck on it and the soda will come." Jake demonstrates, and Dirk nods. He tries the same only to choke on the soda when it goes down his throat prematurely. He has a short coughing fit then pushes the soda away.

"I'll just wait a while to drink," Dirk says. Jake laughs a bit which makes Dirk smile. Jake's laughter and jolliness is quite infectious to Dirk, and Dirk for the life of him can't figure out why.

"Well anyways, chap, I suppose I should tell you a secret that hardly anyone else knows now. While my name might be Jake English, I'm not from England. I can't stand those blokes with their tea, novels, and rules. I'm from Australia. I moved here when I was younger, but I was picked on a lot because of my name so I did away with my Australian accent. It was hard, but once I stopped I wasn't picked on as much so it was worth it," Jake says playing with th straw in his cup.

"Um... What's an accent? And what do you mean by 'you were picked on'?" Dirk asks.

"Oh, that's right. Amnesia and isolation. You wouldn't know that stuff. Anyways, an accent is something people from other countries have when they try to speak a language. It's because they're so used to the way they speak, somethings don't sound right. Like Germans usually replace their w's with v's and such. My accent sounds a lot like this: Blimey! It's a large, saltwater croc right in front of me. You have to be very careful approaching this buggers, or you'll lose an arm!" Jake says sounding like the Crocodile Hunter. Dirk stays silent, amazed by the sound of Jake's accent. He doesn't notice exactly how silent he is until Jake leaves with an awkward wave to go retrieve their food. Dirk shakes himself out of his slight stupor and smiles. This man, Jake English, is quite the study subject, one the Dirk is enjoying so far.

Jake returns to the table setting a basket down in front of Dirk. Inside of the basket is food Dirk has only seen pictures of. A chicken honey mustard wrap with fries lies in the basket. A bit shocked, Dirk looks up at Jake to see Jake smiling at him. Realizing the shock is showing on his face, Dirk puts on a straight face and looks down at his food again. "You don't have to be so nervous you know. I don't bite. Well, unless you're food that is," Jake laughs before taking a bite of his chicken wrap. Dirk follows his lead and courageously takes a bite of his own wrap. His mouth is soon taken over by the flavor that enters his mouth. Never before had he had food like this. Suddenly overcome, Dirk begins to eat faster and a bit sloppily. Jake lets out another laugh. "Is it that good or are you just that hungry?" Dirk tries to force down the flush on his cheeks but fails to do so. He sets down his wrap and plays with his hands under the table so Jake doesn't see.

"Um... Sorry, this is all just new to me. I don't quite know that much," Dirk states trying to keep his face impassive though his heart is beating wildly. Had he ever been this nervous before?

"That's quite alright, Strider. I understand. You are quite the swell fellow though if I might add," Jake says with a wink as he continues eating. Dirk can't stop the smile from coming onto his face so he let's it come full force. He sees Jake notice the smile, but does nothing to fix himself. Instead he continues eating but at a much more controlled pace. "Oh, before I forget, here. I believe these are yours." Jake pulls out dirk's sunglasses from his jeans pocket and hands them to Dirk. Dirk smiles appreciatively and places his shades back to its familiar place on his face. Jake pouts slightly but says nothing.

The two continue chatting and eating, their conversation never faltering in the slightest. Dirk, nor Jake for that matter, has ever felt a connection this close before. The two chatted like old friends chatting through good times not like strangers who had met due to an unfortunate accident. The meal has put Dirk at ease and his nervousness from before has completely vanished. Their chat has to be interrupted though. Soon they finish eating and Jake pays for the check. Jake stands and Dirk follows his lead.

"So, Strider, is there anywhere you would like me to take you?" Jake asks stopping at the edge of the sidewalk to wait to cross the busy street. Dirk, oblivious to this continues walking onto the busy street.

"Um, I actually am not to sure on where to go. I really don't know-"

"Strider!" Jake shouts nervously. Dirk looks to Jake, but Jake isn't look at Dirk. Instead he is eyeing a large 18-wheeler truck driving right for Dirk. Dirk allows a confused expression to show and before Jake can say anything else, the truck closes in on Dirk, horn blaring. Jake's breath caught in his throat as he watched the truck collide with Dirk. Once the truck passed, Jake desperately searched the streets for the man he had been talking to just a few seconds ago. "Strider! Strider, where are you! Strider!"

Dirk felt something rush into him, knocking him to his side and successfully knocking the wind from his lungs as well. He struggles to catch his breath before opening his eyes seeing the blindly bright sun that's familiar to him. He looks around to see the same barren wasteland he lives in. In a quick bout of anger, Dirk punches the ground and lets out a curse. He flops to the ground defeated but thinks of the man he had met today. The man with the dazzling green eyes and infectious smile. The man who is the best research subject he's ever known.

Jake English.

**So that was the first official chapter of Us Against Time! I hope you enjoyed it! If you have any questions just PM me or put them in your review! (See what I did there? ;D) See you next time! **


	3. Chapter 2: Friendship

Chapter 2: Friendship

Dirk groans as he glares at his computer screen. Ever since he returned from his trip to the past, Dirk has been talking to Roxy via Pesterchum trying to tell her what happened. Now, he's just trying to convince her it happened since she isn't believing him.

[TT]: You have to believe me Roxy. I wouldn't make something up like this.

[TG]: i know you wouldnt bby but it just seems too... impossbible

[TG]: *impossible

[TG]: sides how would you even explain it?

[TG]: scientificllay i mean

[TG]: *scientifically

[TT]: I'm not sure, but I know it happened Roxy.

[TT]: There was a scar on my head from being hit with Jake's car.

[TT]: It really happened Roxy, and I just want it to happen again.

[TG]: and how are you gonna do that you don't even know when itll habben again

[TG]: *happen

[TT]: You really need to lay off the alcohol for a while.

[TT]: I don't know how it'll happen again, but I'll make sure it does. Since I don't have your help on this I guess I'll just have to figure it out myself.

[TT]: Bye, Roxy.

[TG]: bby wait!

- timaeusTestified [TT] ceased pestering tipsyGnostalgic [TG] at 11:25-

Dirk sighs and pushes himself away from his computer desk, grabbing Li'l Cal as he slides past him. He holds Li'l Cal up to look him in the eyes. "You don't think I'm crazy, right little buddy? It actually happened didn't it?" Dirk asks only to sigh when Li'l Cal doesn't say anything. He leans back in his chair and stares up at the ceiling. _How do I get back there? I want to see him again, _Dirk thinks as he spins in his chair. Suddenly he stops and stand up. "That's it. We're going back there, Li'l Cal. I'm gonna find a way how."

Dirk starts a video log on his computer and pulls his chair to sit in front of it. Once recording he says, "Scientific Journal: Day 3,628. Yesterday, I experienced a weird happening. It seemed as if I experienced a jump in the timeline. I traveled to a time where there were still more people around, tons of them even, and the world wasn't dead yet. The atmosphere was safe enough to be in without sunglasses, and resources were still plentiful. I plan to return to the same time period somehow. If I could figure out how these time jumps work, maybe I could bring people from the past with me to help humans repopulate here in the present. Wish me luck."

* * *

Jake sits nervously outside of his boss's office, his legs bouncing all the while. He is nervous, not only because this is his first piece submission to his editor-in-chief of the newspaper he works at, but also because he is still worried about the man from before, Dirk Strider. Jake thinks about Dirk, smiling at the fond memories that come to mind only to frown when he realizes that the last he saw of the man was when Dirk was plowed into by that horrid 18 wheeler truck. Jake tries not to worry to much since he had really just met the man, but it's so easy to worry when you see it happen right before your eyes.

"Hey, Jake!" a cheery voice says causing Jake to jump at the feeling of a hand on his knee. He breaths a sigh of relief when he sees that it's his good friend, Jane Crocker. "Are you okay there, Jake?"

"Sorry, I guess you could say I'm a little on edge today," Jake says closing his eyes to relax a bit.

"I know how you feel. I was this way when I submitted my first article to the chief too," Jane says with a small laugh leaning towards Jake a bit.

"It's not just the article, Jane. It's something else too," Jake says scooting away from Jane in order to face her with a serious look on his face. Startled, Jane looks at Jake waiting for him to continue. "I met this man the other day, well, ran over this man with my car the other day-"

"Ran over?" Jane shouted causing other workers in the office to look at them. She gives a sheepish smile before everyone turns back to work.

"Shh, it's alright. He didn't get any injuries, at least not major injuries, but that's not the point! The point is, I treated him to lunch after we left the hospital and we chatted for a while. He's a swell guy, Jane. He really is. But anyways, as we were leaving the bistro I usually go to, a giant 18 wheeler truck plowed right into him! I'm so worried, Jane, and I know I shouldn't be... Would you be worried too?" Jake asks biting his thumb, a bit of his Australian accent showing through his worry.

"Wow, Jake. That's horrible! I would definitely be worried, but I don't know if I'd be worried to the extent that you are now. How do you even know that this really happened anyways?" Jane asks skeptically.

"Because it did, Jane. I can recall every detail. Him appearing in the street out of no where, me taking him to the hospital, those shades, and his strange eyes, I remember it all, Jane! I'm not asking for much here, Jane. I just want to know that he's at least safe," Jake sighs, huffing some of his dark brown bangs away. They sit in a bit of an awkward silence before Jane notices something around Jake's neck.

"Oh, that's an interesting wooden carving around your neck. Where'd you get it this is the first time I've seen it before," Jane says with a smile, pointing to a little wooden carving of a skull hanging by a black string around Jake's neck. Jake looks down at the carving and smiles.

"You've never seen this before? Jane, I wear it everyday," Jake gives a small fond laugh.

"Well I guess I never noticed it before. Where'd you get it?" Jane asks, leaning in closer to Jake to inspect the small carving.

"Hmmm... I don't quite remember where I got it... All I know is that it's a gift from someone, someone important, so it's a treasure I hold dearly," Jake says although a bit confused as to why he can't remember something he says is important to him.

"Well whoever made it is an amazing artist. It's really detailed," Jane says pointing out the different ridges and grooves making the skull's intricate features on the crown of the head.

"They really are," Jake smiles before he's called into the chief's office. He looks to Jane with a large smile. "Wish me luck!"

* * *

Dirk stands on the edge of his roof warily, looking over the edge with nervous eyes. He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "Ok, let's do this, cowboy." He looks back to Cal who is situated on his AC unit currently and gives him a shaky smile. "Wish me luck, Cal. I hope I'm right about this." Dirk takes another deep breath before leaning forward and falling off the platform. He holds in a shout as the air rushes past him quickly. He shuts his eyes in anticipation, but the ground never comes. He opens his eyes to see that he's fallen quite a long way already and there hasn't been any time change. Letting out a loud curse, Dirk pulls out the katana at his side and sticks it into the metal siding of his apartment building, holding on as the sword slows down his fall before stopping it completely. Dirk swings himself to jump onto the floor below him and lays down on the ground to collect himself.

"Shit! Damn, that was scary! I thought I was gonna die!" Dirk shouted gasping for breath. He finally composed himself enough to sit up. "Well, I guess that means my hypothesis was wrong." Feeling a bit dejected, Dirk stands and lets out a sad sigh. He walks around slowly, his feet scuffing the floor as he walks. "I wonder if that really was a dream after all." Dirk begins the slow descent back to his apartment, his head down as he walks. Suddenly, Dirk finds himself in a lighter area. Curious, Dirk looks up to find himself in a well lit hallway. He looks around him to find that there are actual rooms with doors now. He smiles to himself and he looks around. "I did it!"

"Strider, is that you?" a familiar voice asks. Dirk spins around to be met with Jake along with a woman behind him. She has short black hair and bright blue eyes which Dirk had to admit he found quite charming. She was a bit plump but not to a noticeable point which only added to her cuteness. Jake smiles and runs up to Dirk, his face showing his shock and his hands moving at quite an alarming speed with no particular pattern or reason.

"It's good to see you too, Jake," Dirk says trying to hide his smile at Jake's antics. Jake's jaw falls and Jake suddenly wraps his arms around Dirk.

"Good to see me? I was so worried. I thought you had died! It looked like that truck hit you right on," Jake said shakily. Dirk awkwardly pats Jake shoulder not sure of what to do in a situation like this. He looks over Jake's shoulder to see the woman Jake was with giving Dirk an odd stare which was starting to make the man feel uncomfortable. After a while, Jake pulls back, color once again returning to his face. He sees Dirk eyeing Jane suspiciously, so he lets out a short laugh at himself. "Oh my. Sorry for the antics here. I seem to have completely forgotten about the introductions needed here. Dirk, this is Jane Crocker, my best friend in life and a co-worker at the newspaper company I work for. She writes wedding announcements and overviews much like the lad in 27 Dresses."

"You know I don't like that movie, so stop bringing it up!" Jane pouted causing Jake to laugh.

"Right, right, sorry. Anyways, Jane, this is Dirk Strider, the man I ran over last week," Jake says with a smile. Dirk stiffens and does a double take to Jake.

"I-I'm sorry. Last week? It's been a whole week since I last saw you?" Dirk asks stepping back a bit as he does so. Jake looks to Dirk a bit curiously.

"Yeah, more than a week actually. We ran into each other last Tuesday. It's Friday of next week now," Jake says.

"Oh... So it is... Sorry, I guess time just got away from me there," Dirk laughed nervously. _Are these time jumps at random? I know I wasn't unconscious for a week in my time since all of my data and clocks were right, _Dirk thinks as he smiles nervously at Jake. Jane steps forward a small frown on her face.

"Well, I had better go Jake. I've got cookies and cakes to bake and whatnot," Jane says giving Jake a smile. Jake smiles at her and gives her a big.

"Well, if you insist, but I guess I don't mind since I have Strider here to keep me company," Jake says smiling brightly and Dirk which Dirk returns with a small smile of his own. Jane leaves and Jake looks to Dirk with bright eyes. "So would you like to come over to my house for a bit, Strider? It's right around the corner from here, and it will give us something to do. Plus, I wouldn't mind getting to know you a bit better."

"That sounds cool," Dirk says following Jake to the elevator at the end of the hallway. Dirk glanced around the elevator, experiencing the novelty of it since the elevators in his time never worked. A smile soon worked its way on his face unbeknownst to Dirk. Jake glanced up at Jake and smiled.

"Any reason for the smile there, chap?" Jake asks. Dirk looks at him in confusion then realizes he was smiling.

"Oh... I guess I was smiling. Sorry, this is my first time in an elevator. The ones where I come from don't work," Dirk explains. The elevator doors open up and Jake leads them out.

"Don't work? Where are you from?" Jake asks.

"Not exactly sure. Let's just say that it takes a long time to get there from here though," Dirk says smirking to himself slightly. Jake just nods and leads him to the apartment building's parking lot.

"We don't technically have to drive to get to my house, but I came here after work with Jane so I kinda need to get my car back to my house," Jake says opening the door to his car. Dirk nods in silence and gets in the car with Jake. He takes a deep breath before remembering to put on his seat belt. He runs his gloved sweaty palms on his pants, his nervousness taking over. "Still afraid of cars, huh? Don't worry. We don't have far to go." Jake smiles at Dirk which oddly enough calms his nerves slightly. Jake starts the car then starts to pull away.

Soon enough, the car stops again only after a minute or so of driving. Jake unbuckles his seat belt and starts to leave. He glances over to Dirk only to see that he's still firmly in his seat and laughs. "Come now, Strider. This here is my house. Get out and I'll show you around." Dirk nods and leaves the car looking at a house that no longer exists in his time.

It's a very pleasant house, small yet homely and white with green shudders covering the windows. The front yard is a very lush green grass that Dirk has only ever dreamed of seeing let alone stand in front of it and at the end of the yard is a small white picket fence which only adds to the homely appeal of the small cottage home. Near the front door is a wooden deck laden with lounging chairs and a white railing. In front of the porch beside both sides of the stairs is a very beautiful and colorful garden bursting with blooming flowers. Dirk stands still with awe in the marvelous beauty the house had. Jake gently pats his shoulder, shocking him from his awe.

"It's a beautiful house isn't it? I'm lucky to have it. It used to belong to my grandmother, but she passed away a few years ago. I didn't want the house to go to some random stranger when I've lived here the entire time I've been here in America, so I decided to live here. I was living in an apartment across town, but I didn't mind moving here for the house. I even kept up my grandmother's gardens! Isn't this one great? There's a better one in the backyard we can see later if you want," Jake says. Dirk only nods, still unable to say anything at the shock of seeing such lush vegetation. Jake gives a chuckle and pulls Dirk inside of his house. "Let's get on with the tour, shall we?"

* * *

Soon, the tour had finished (Dirk really loved Jake's house) and now the two sit on the deck in Jake's back yard chatting and drinking tea that Jake had made shortly after the tour. It was still late afternoon, the sun still high in the sky with a cool breeze blowing to keep things cool.

"I have to say, Jake, this place is pretty cool. Never knew a house could look like this," Dirk says taking another sip of Jake's tea.

"Thanks, Strider. I do try. This place is my greatest treasure. It has a lot of memories from my childhood in it," Jake says with a fond smile.

"Let me here some of these memories," Dirk requests only realizing how that might sound after saying it. "I mean, if you want. I'm just curious as to what a normal childhood is like."

"I don't mind at all, Strider. I'll tell you about some of my favorite things to do as a kid. My grandmother loved to collect guns, and she was quite marksman too. Because of her influence, I ended up loving guns. I like skulls to, but only because we would go on archaeology excavations together. It was really neat. So I'm pretty much an adventurer now because of her. I love guns and temple finding and all that stuff. I'd love to go on a grand adventure one day, but now I'm stuck here working a page job in the newspaper company. I turned in my first article today, but it's going to get shot down. I just know it," Jake's enthusiasm starts to dwindle towards the end of his small speech and Dirk feels the need to cheer him up.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, bro. You seem pretty cool. I'm sure your article will get published," Dirk says, placing a reassuring hand on Jake's shoulder. Jake smiles up at Dirk through his bangs and Dirk feels his heart speed up at the look. He clears his throat to calm himself down and lounges back in his chair breaking the contact between him and Jake. He awkwardly drinks more of his tea, finishing it off in the process.

"Oh, here, let me get you a refill, Strider. I'll be right back, mate," Jake smiles and grabs Dirks cup, going into the house. Dirk looks around boredly before standing and walking over to a large shrub with flowers growing from it. He takes in a deep breath, inhaling the sweet aroma of the flower. He reaches out for a white and purple flower, plucking it away from the others. He smells it again giving a happy sigh at the pleasant smell. He returns to the table just as Jake returns with a full cup of tea. Jake sets down Dirk's cup then eyes the flower Dirk has curiously.

"Is there any particular reason you have that flower?" Jake asks.

"No reason... I just liked it. I've never even seen real flowers before, so this is amazing to me," Dirk says.

"Oh, well you're welcome to come by and take any flowers you want. Tell me though, you don't seem to know a lot. How old are you?" Jake asks sipping from his untouched tea.

"Oh, I'm 24. My memory only goes back to when I was 14 though," Dirk answers.

"You lived in solitary for 10 years? Where are you living now?" Jake asks focusing on not choking on his tea in shock.

"Right now? At the moment... I'm not too sure, but I'm sure something will open up in the future," Dirk says dodging the real answer to the question.

"Then where have you been this past week? Surely you haven't been living off the streets have you?"

"No, I guess you could say I was staying with a friend. I don't really come here often."

"Oh, I see. That's good then. But you aren't planning on staying there? Why not just stay with your friend?"

"It's complicated. I don't want to be a hindrance to anyone with my previous amnesia. Plus, I don't have a job."

"Oh, I see. You don't seem like a hindrance to me though, Strider. If you ever want to chat or hang out, I'll be here. Well, maybe. I might also be at office. Gotta work and all, but my hours at the office aren't that bad. I usually leave around 3 or so. It could only be a better job if it had more adventure in it, but I guess I get enough of that in life. I did meet you not under normal circumstances after all," Jake chuckles. Dirk smiles at Jake's mirth and sighs.

"I'd like to take you up on your offer but not now. We can talk about it later when I'm actually ready to move or whatever," Dirk says with a hint of sadness. Dirk stands and looks to the sky. He takes of his sunglasses to get one last true look at the blue sky strewn with white puffy clouds.

"Are you leaving, Strider?" Jake asks sadly, gaining Dirk's attention again. Dirk looks down at Jake trying not to crack at the pout Jake is unknowingly giving him.

"Yeah, I need to go. I don't want to leave, but I have some things I need to work out," Dirk says reluctantly.

"Alright. Do you want me to walk you out, or are you fine?" Jake asks. Dirk shakes his head.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though. Hopefully I can see you soon and time won't get away from me again. Later, Jake," Dirk says walking towards the house again. Jake quickly grabs Dirk's wrist stopping Dirk. Dirk looks back to see Jake glance away sadly.

"Um, I know we just met and all, but I wanted to clarify some things. We are friends right?" Jake asks hesitantly. Dirk smiles and lightly punches Jake's shoulder.

"Of course we are, bro," Dirk says walking away from a brilliantly smiling Jake. _Now... how do I get home? Do I go back to the apartment building? But what floor was I on. I didn't pay any attention to that, _Dirk thought worriedly placing his shades back on his face. He walked through the house and out the front door, but instead of appearing outside, he is welcomed by his familiar apartment room. Dirk stands shocked before returning to his computer desk to check the time. It's just a little after midnight, almost 12 hours after he left. Dirk ran a shaky hand through his hair.

"So I lost that much time here, huh? I wonder if my time spent there corresponds to how much time I miss here? Or is it just as random as these temporal shifts?" Dirk asks sitting in his computer chair getting ready to log his experience. _Jake is my friend now. It feels great to have another friend other than Roxy. I wonder what friends do around each other, _Dirk thinks as he starts up his log.

* * *

**Yay! Next chapter is out! Sorry for the long wait TT^TT I suddenly got swamped with end of the year projects TT^TT The next update should hopefully come soon but after that this is going on a short break since I will be going to Japan after my school year ends with my school for an exchange program. I'll be gone for about two weeks but after that I belong to the internet! I want to thank all of the reviewers from last chapter too. Thanks for the reviews! They mean a lot to me. Even a simple "Nice chapter" means a lot. See you guys soon hopefully! I still have lots of work to do so hopefully I can update again before my trip so cross your fingers!**


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